Arc One: Something Lies Beyond The Stars
by Black Dragon62
Summary: Multichaptered fic. An orphan left on a doorstep is only one part of this sordid story. A tale of betrayal, of hope, of death, and good versus evil. Something in it for everyone I think.
1. A Star Dies

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing... Damn...

Pairings: Of course there will be 1 on 2 on 1, but there maybe some others lurking behind the bend...

Warnings: Shonen Ai. Action. Adventure. Drama.

Author's Warning: _This will mark the beginning of a 3 arc story. I have been watching a lot of action films, and I have yet again been inspired. Each arc will contain it's own chapters, but all stories will be interconnected. You'll see in the end what I mean. I have not yet planned out how long this story will be, or how long I have planned to write it, but I thought we would play it by ear. Advanced warnings, I plan to include violence, action, language, and a torment we all know as love. Some of the terms used in the story have been taken from movies, but they will be given their own credit. I have taken some, for example, from Star Wars. Eh... you'll know what I mean._

Note: Finally, I have written again. I was looking through my computer folders and noticed a lot of unfinished fics. Well, that's not going to stop now. Enjoy!

**Arc One**

**Something Lies Beyond The Stars**

**Chapter One: A Star Dies**

Ben awoke with a start. He looked around his bedroom and saw that the shadows on his walls were long and dark. It was still night. He sat up and looked to his right, his wife Janae was still fast asleep. He looked to his left at his nightstand clock, and noticed that it was only 3 in the morning. He had been awaken by a noise. What it was, he couldn't remember. He kept thinking as he ran a hand through his auburn hair. _What was that noise? Where did it come from?_ He thought as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and placed his feet flat on the marble floor, the coolness of the stone felt good in the heat of the summer night. It was 98 degrees on Tanikan, the fourth planet in the system of Madras the 12th star system controlled by the Republic, and the summers tended to be hotter because of the heat of the 5 suns. Ben slipped out of bed, and looked back at his sleeping wife, and then turned back to the doorway that was across the room. He moved soundlessly across the stone floor, and the light sensors in the hall turned on the yellow light of the hall, he walked through to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water.

As he neared the doorway to the kitchen, he again heard a noise, the noise that roused him from his deep sleep. A muffled kind of cry, but where it came from was yet undetermined. He walked to the front door, and pressed his ear up against the door, and it was there that he heard it again. He grabbed a club that was next to the door, and let his hand hover over the door release, and in one swift move, pushed the button and swung the club over his head, and with a -swish- the door slid over, revealing... nothing. No one was there, he poked his head out, but Ben saw nothing. Yet he heard the noise again, and he looked down. And on his front step, a bundle wrapped in white linen was moving fitfully. He knelt down, and moved over the linen, to reveal the head of a baby. His heart-shaped face was framed by chestnut brown hair, and the most remarkable violet eyes. The babies eyes looked up at Ben, and his chubby hands reached out to the man, imploring to be held.

Confused, Ben looked around again, lifting the baby in his arms and walking out into the night. But saw nothing. Tanikan was a desert planet, yet there was nothing around for what looked like miles. _Who would leave a baby here? And how can they have gone so quickly? There are no animal tracks anywhere..._ Ben looked at the ground, scouring for ground for animal or human prints, but finding nothing. In the East, one of Tanikan's 5 suns was beginning to rise, and the heat was beginning to rise as well. With no one in sight, Ben held the baby close, and walked back to his doorway, stepping through it, and sliding it shut behind him with another -swish-.

25 feet from the small house, a figure, wrapped in a brown traveling cloak shifted his position. Letting his defenses drop, he reappeared to normal people. Mounted on a desert Maeka, he wrapped his cloak closer to his face, his hazel eyes starring at the lights in the house. The animal snorted, and received a pat on the head. The lights in the house turned off, and once again, the house was enveloped in darkness. 20 minutes ago, he had left the baby on the front step, and awoken Ben Solo with his mind, watched the man come out and look around confused, then carry the small child inside. The man on the maeka remained there, thinking of everything that had transpired within the last few days, and wondering if saving the life of this child, had been enough to honor the mother that had died in her struggle to deliver him, and to ask the forgiveness of the father that he had let down, and eventually lost forever. With a sigh, he pulled the reigns on the maeka, and turned in the opposite direction, towards the rising suns. Though he had not been to Tanikan in 10 years he knew that the second sun should have risen 10 minutes ago. Only a light orange haze followed the first sun, and nothing else. That only meant one thing... a star had died.

To Be Continued...

End Notes: Ok, so that's the first part of a very long arc that I have planned. So leave me a comment! And tell me what you think so far! Can you guess the name of the little boy in the white linen? Who is the stranger leaving children on doorsteps? Tune in next time for another installment!


	2. Desert Samba

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing... Damn...

Pairings: Of course there will be 1 on 2 on 1, but there maybe some others lurking behind the bend...

Warnings: Shonen Ai. Action. Adventure. Drama.

Author's Warning: _This will mark the beginning of a 3 arc story. I have been watching a lot of action films, and I have yet again been inspired. Each arc will contain it's own chapters, but all stories will be interconnected. You'll see in the end what I mean. I have not yet planned out how long this story will be, or how long I have planned to write it, but I thought we would play it by ear. Advanced warnings, I plan to include violence, action, language, and a torment we all know as love. Some of the terms used in the story have been taken from movies, but they will be given their own credit. I have taken some, for example, from Star Wars. Eh... you'll know what I mean._

Note: Finally, I have written again. I was looking through my computer folders and noticed a lot of unfinished fics. Well, that's not going to stop now. Enjoy!

**Arc One**

**Something Lies Beyond The Stars**

**By Black Dragon62**

**Chapter Two: Desert Samba**

"Duo!" A middle aged woman with brown hair called through the small house. "Duo!" She waited for a reply by tilting her head. "Duo Maxwell, you get down here right now and throw out the garbage! NOW!" She bellowed.

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming!" A young boy, age 20, long brown hair carefully braided, and the brightest violet eyes; ran down the stairs to stop in front of his aunt Janae, who 15 seconds ago, had been screaming her lungs out. "Hi." He said as he smiled in a playful way.

"Don't start with me. It's trash day, you know the drill, take the 10 bags of garbage down to the dump. And absolutely NO messing around young man. Last time you were brought home by the municipal police, and I don't want that again. After you're done at the dump, your uncle Ben wants you to meet him at the scrap yard." She said while turning her back to him and heading over to the fridge.

"Why am I going to meet him there? He knows I have classes tonight." Duo said as he leaned up against the door frame. "And it's going to be the first day, and I'll be damned if the teacher knows I'm a fuck up by the first day." He grinned.

"Yeah..." she sounded unsure of something, she turned her back fully to him.

"Yeah what? What's going on?" He asked. Pushing away from the doorframe and walking over to face her. He hopped up on the kitchen counter and turned on the water for her to wash the vegetables. "What is it?"

She looked down and sighed as she dumped the carrots, lettuce, and cucumbers into the sink. "I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you this..."

"Tell me what?" Now starting to get a bit alarmed.

She sighed. "Your uncle Ben pulled you out of school." She said it in a tense voice. He looked at her incredulously.

"No... No he couldn't have done that. Why would he do that?" Duo asked, not believing what she was saying.

"Ben wants you around the house more now because he needs an extra pair of hands to work on the droids. And frankly he thinks there is no one on this planet that knows the droids better than you." She looked up at him then, shutting off the water from the sink. "Don't shoot the messenger." She turned and headed back towards the fridge.

"But..." Duo was at a loss for words. He was angry. "How could he do that without asking me first! All of my friends are going to the Academy, if I miss a year I won't be able to catch up to them!" He grunted in frustration. "Who the hell does he think he is! He can't just pull me out of school without my consent first, he's not my father!"

Janae slammed the fridge door shut and turned to glare at him. "You ungrateful prat! How could you say that!" She walked over and punched him hard on the shoulder. "Ben has cared for you for 20 years, and you claim he's not your father? He's been more of a father to you than whoever left you on our doorstep-" She caught herself. She hadn't meant for it to sound that way. When she looked up into his face, she saw that his eyes were wide, and that his lips were parted in shock. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean that."

Duo got off the counter. "It's ok."

"No really Duo, I didn't-"

"I have to go to the dump now aunt J. I'll be back by dinner." With that, he walked out of the door, and over to the garage. He flung open the doors and grabbed the hover ship out. As he packed the bags of trash into the back, her voice kept ringing in his head. _How could she fucking say that? Like my dad didn't even want me..._ He grumbled as he heaved the bags like they offended him. After he threw the last black bag in, he jumped into the ship and started the engine, and without looking back, he headed off to the dump.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're late."

"Sorry uncle Ben." Duo said as he got out of the ship.

"Where have you been? You were supposed to be here an hour ago." Ben said as he walked through the scrap yard.

"I was at the dump, I was getting rid of the garbage." Duo said as he looked at the piles of scrap metal and alloy. He glared defiantly into the back of his uncle's head. "When were you going to tell me you pulled me out of the Academy?"

"Right now." Ben said without missing a beat, or without turning to look his nephew in the face. "So your aunt finally told you. I was wondering when she would." He walked over to the omicronian and began to haggle. "I'll give you 20 for that droid." He pointed to a blue unit over on the far side of the yard. "And I'll give you 15 for the G52." He pointed to an android who was offline. The merchant agreed and took the money.

"You should have told me. You shouldn't have even done it without asking me first! Why can't I go to school? I'm going to be behind a year if I go back next year." Duo said as he fiddled with the belt of his beige tunic. He dug into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a coin, and started to flip it in the air.

"I didn't say you would be going back next year." Ben said as he loaded the droid in the back of the hover ship. "I'm going to need you for longer than a year..." He said choosing his words carefully. "I think you're going to just have to give up school all together."

Duo stood there silently still. Glaring a hole into his uncle's back. "Who are you to make that decision for me?" He balled his fists, and they almost disappeared under his long sleeves. "I'm 20 years old! I'm not a child, and you can't control my life! You're ruining it Uncle Ben! I was going to the Academy, in hopes of one day going the Republic, of being successful! Not like you!" Duo spat out with disdain. His uncle turned to look his square in the face. His auborn hair was now longer, and his hazel eyes were older and wiser, the wrinkles on his face made him a handsome older man. But now his jaw was set, his eyes were narrowed, his face was stern, he glared at his nephew with the same anger being thrown at him. "You can't keep me here."

"Get into the ship." Ben said, turning and loading the other droid into the back. "Now."

Duo stared at his uncle in disbelief. "I can't believe you. You can't leave the situation, you can't just ignore it." Duo said, standing his ground.

"Get in. Now." Ben said as he started the ship.

"No." And with that, Duo turned and started to walk away underneath Tanikan's 4 suns.

To Be Continued...

End Notes: In the next episode: Duo meets an unexpected person, friend or foe? And can you guess who it'll be? Probably not. But I hope you enjoyed this short but interesting chapter, leave me a review and let me know what you think!


	3. City Among The Sands

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Star Wars, that belongs to George Lucas.

Pairings: Of course there will be 1 on 2 on 1, but there maybe some others lurking behind the bend...

Warnings: Shonen Ai. Action. Adventure. Drama.

Author's Warning: _This will mark the beginning of a 3 arc story. I have been watching a lot of action films, and I have yet again been inspired. Each arc will contain it's own chapters, but all stories will be interconnected. You'll see in the end what I mean. I have not yet planned out how long this story will be, or how long I have planned to write it, but I thought we would play it by ear. Advanced warnings, I plan to include violence, action, language, and a torment we all know as love. Some of the terms used in the story have been taken from movies, but they will be given their own credit. I have taken some, for example, from Star Wars. Eh... you'll know what I mean._

Note: Finally, I have written again. I was looking through my computer folders and noticed a lot of unfinished fics. Well, that's not going to stop now. Enjoy!

**Arc One**

**Something Lies Beyond The Stars**

**By Black Dragon62**

**Chapter Three: City Among The Sands**

Duo walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. It seemed almost endless. He forgot how far the city was from the scrap yard on foot. He'd been walking for nearly an hour, and everywhere around him, all he could see was sand. _Maybe I'm going the wrong way?_ He looked around, trying to find something, anything, but all he could see was beige sand.

Another hour. He was beginning to lose hope, when he saw a tiny spire in the distance. _So I'm not that clueless after all._ He thought as he made his way towards it. As he walked, he could see a city materializing in front of him. The city of Mazereth was the primary city on Tanikan, it was also the space port for all departing, and entering freight ships. He walked through the cities gates, and looked around. Whenever he and his Uncle came to Mazereth, they always just went to one or two stops, then left; but now he looked around the huge city, and suddenly wondered, _Where should I go?_ He looked around the city, and spotted a familiar sign.

He entered the bar, and an unfamiliar scent of liquor and smoke filled his senses, and he reeled from it. He had seen this bar on many trips, but was never allowed inside. As he looked around the bar, he saw many species of alien he'd never seen before, he looked around for an empty spot, but only found a table in the corner. He plopped down in the seat and sighed. He checked his pockets, but only had the coin he'd been flipping through the air 3 hours ago, _barely enough for one drink,_ he thought. A waitress came by, and he ordered a beer, handing the woman the coin, she walked off, and came back with a green bottle with writing he couldn't recognize. He sipped his drink in peace, watching everyone come and go, talk and fight.

"First time huh?" Said a voice to his left. The owner of the voice was a woman. Tall, and thin, but her thin frame didn't betray the curves of her body. She had black hair, a little longer than her shoulders, and had one long bang down the right side of her face, and the rest was pulled back in a pony tale. She wore something similar to his attire, but hers was a darker shade of beige. He long sleeved thigh length tunic was tied at her waist by a black belt, and her khaki pants disappeared beneath knee length black boots. Her pretty face smiled at him, her dark brown eyes twinkling. "May I join you?" She asked.

He nodded, and she threw her dark brown cloak into the booth next to her, and he could see that something hung on her hip. He'd only seen that on one person, but he thought that person was long dead.

"Name's Aneide (An-e-eed)." She smiled at him. "Your first time in a bar huh?"

He nodded again. "Is that a-" He began, but she cut him off.

"A light saber?" She grinned. "Yeah it is. Bet you country boys see one in a millennia." She laughed.

"I've seen one, only once though, it belonged to someone, but he's probably dead now." He looked down.

She looked at him, and took a sig of beer. "Aren't you a little young to be in a place like this? What are you? Like 15?"

"No." He said indignantly. "I'm 20."

"Same thing." She laughed.

"Aren't you my age?" He looked at her young features, and tried to guess her age.

"Not even close." Aneide looked around the bar, and judged the distance of the closest eavesdropper. "I'm 41." She grinned.

He blinked. "But you look 20, 21 at the most. Must have been one hell of a surgery."

She laughed. "I age slowly, no surgery. It is perhaps my training that keeps me at this present state, or it might be I'm as young as I feel." She laughed again at the look on his face, she watched as he rolled his eyes at her. "Ok, maybe it's the training." She looked around the bar again. "Look, I'm assuming you've run away from home..."

"How'd you---?" He was about to ask when she cut him off again.

"Because why would a kid your age, be in a place like this on his first day of school?" She spotted someone in the crowd she had been scanning, and made her decision. "Look Duo, since you've run away, and have no place to go, why don't you come along with me? I have a couple errands to run, and it will be nice to have some company." She looked behind her again and saw the person looking around the bar. "But we've gotta go now." She stood, draping her cloak around her, and putting her hood up. He stood with her, and nodded. He followed her though the crowd to the door, when a man approached them.

"Halt." He said as he looked into her face. "You're under arrest."

She looked at him, and pierced him with her eyes. "I believe you're looking for someone else." She lifted her hand just a bit, to hover 4 inches from her face, palm facing him.

"I'm looking for someone else." He said automatically.

"You've made a mistake." She said.

"I've made a mistake." he repeated.

"Move along." She said.

"Move along." He repeated.

She looked at him and smiled, she turned from him and headed towards the door once again. Duo followed close behind her, and caught up to her once they reached the outside.

"How'd you do that? What did you do? And what's going on?" He asked in one breath.

"Later. Now is not the time to discuss such things." She said, finally acting her age. "We need to move, and quickly." She said, running through the crowded streets, the people fanning out to let her pass. Duo running close at her heels. "Something's happened, and we need to hurry." She ran, turning this corner, and that.

"What's happened?" Duo asked, keeping up with her easily.

"No time. When we get there, you'll see." She ran into a small alley and jumped into the passenger seat of the hover ship. "Get in." She said as she threw the keys to the ship at him. "Drive me to your home. We have no time to loose, now do it."

He caught the keys, and looked at her with questioning eyes. But she looked serious, so he did as she asked, he jumped into the driver's seat of the ship, and started the ship. It roared to life, and soon they were jetting through the crowded city, out through the Northern gate, and out into the expansive desert. Neither said anything, Duo wanted to say something that had been bothering him, but decided against it, there would be time for it later, he thought as he passed over a sand dune, then he felt his heart stop.

Over in the distance, a small cloud of smoke was emanating from something. _My house..._ He thought as they neared. Duo felt an eternity pass before he reached the spot where the smoking ruins of his house stood. He jumped out of the ship and ran to the entrance, which was open and smoking. Aneide jumped out of the ship, and looked around, and spotted something that made her look at the boy with the long brown braid and sad eyes.

"Uncle Ben! Aunt Janae!" Duo screamed at the top of his lungs into the open door to the house. "Are you in there!" He hollered. Aneide walked over calmly to him, and placed a quiet hand on his shoulder. Duo turned his head to look into her face, but she was looking past him, in the direction of the garage. There, in a smoking heap, laid two burned corpses, barley recognizable. One was wrapped around the other, as if to protect it, but the damage was too much, and all that was left were two bodies, burned and smoking. Duo fell to his knees, not saying anything, he stared at the spot where his uncle and aunt lay. "Who would do this?" He asked quietly.

Aneide sighed. "It's begun."

"What has?" Duo asked, choking back the sobs.

"The rebellion." She said at length. "I'm sorry." She said quietly, not quite knowing how to comfort the young man she met 2 hours ago. She looked around. "It's not safe to linger here." She said, as she helped him to his feet. "We are not safe, we need to go to a place where we will be."

Duo struggled out of her grip. "We can't just leave them here like this! We have to bury them!" He said as he started to walk towards the bodies.

Aneide sighed in frustration and stretched out her hand, palm facing Duo's back. Immediately he stopped walking. "I told you it's not safe, they may still be here, and I'd rather not have us end up the same way your family did." She said it in a serious tone. She dropped her palm and watched as he turned to look at her. "I'm sorry about your family, I really am. But there's nothing we can do for them without lingering too long, or attracting attention to ourselves if whoever killed them is still around. We have to go."

Duo thought about it, and as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Duo turned, and gave one last look at his aunt and uncle. After saying a silent prayer for them, he moved to join Aneide, who was sitting in the driver's seat. He got in. And they drove off into the other direction, away from the wreckage, away from the smoke, and away from Duo's life.

To Be Continued...

End Notes: Wow, I'm on a roll! Two chapters in one day! I must be on something! Caffeine actually, but still, that's pretty good right? Next Episode: Who is the mysterious women who is delivering blow after blow to our young Duo? Where is she taking him? What's he going to do now? Stay tuned, and leave a review while you're at it!


End file.
